LCK 2026 Regular Season Day 45: An Anti-Climactic Final Day As HLE Secure First Place
After a hype week of LCK matches, the final day was one-sided. Both Hanwha Life Esports and Dplus KIA walked away with comfortable victories in their series. HLE’s win over HANJIN BRION secures them the first place in the LCK Regular Season. DK’s victory against Nongshim Redforce does not change their standings, but does give confidence heading into the LCK Road to MSI.
HANJIN BRION Versus Hanwha Life Esports
Game One – HLE Barely Flinch
Even with Zeus dying twice in the early game, HLE does not worry. They bide their time until they can teamfight. The fights around the Rift Herald pit prove valuable for HLE. They start to gather momentum from that point and never let go. Even when BRO dives Zeka, they lose out on the trade. BRO stops HLE’s Hextech Soul, but that merely delays the defeat. With HLE’s second Baron of the game, they end, even though Kanavi died in BRO’s fountain.
Game Two – A Positive Start Not Successful
BRO had a good start to game two. With pressure on the bot lane, GIDEON picked up the first First Blood kill on Kanavi. Zeka also died mid lane, while Zeus fell behind. HLE kept the game close until the 24th-minute mark. A pick on Roamer triggered them to move to Baron. BRO tried to contest, but HLE turned and crushed them in the fight. HLE utilized the Baron to end the game and secure their first-place finish in the LCK.
Champions Played
HANJIN BRION
- Casting – Jayce, Twisted Fate
- GIDEON – Lee Sin, Jarvan IV
- Roamer – Orianna, Taliyah
- Teddy – Ziggs, Ezreal
- Namgung – Nautilus, Neeko
Hanwha Life Esports
- Zeus – K’Sante, Gnar
- Kanavi – Vi, Pantheon
- Zeka – Viktor, Ryze
- Gumayusi – Caitlyn, Ashe
- Delight – Bard, Seraphine
Nongshim Redforce Versus Dplus KIA
Game One – DK Controlled
The first bot lane skirmish goes in favor of DK. They pick up four kills to two. Everyone has a lead over their opponent, except for Siwoo. NS makes a handful of plays to try to punish ShowMaker. He dies on one of the occasions, but it does not make a dent. The mid-game fights explode as DK dominates. At 21 minutes, DK has a 9k gold lead and has Infernal Soul Point. The snowball continues rolling as Smash earns a pentakill before the game ends.
Game Two – Never in Doubt
The early game could not have started much better for DK. Smash and Career took control of the bot lane with two kills in the 2v2. DK started to win everywhere, with only Siwoo not ahead once again. The mid-game got a little tricky for DK as they gave up some kills to NS. Even then, they never had a way to wrestle back control of the game. They attempted a Hail Mary Baron play. They secured the objective, but NS lost all five members as a result. DK ended the game shortly after.
Champions Played
Nongshim Redforce
- Kingen – Rumble, Jayce
- Sponge – Naafiri, Pantheon
- Scout – Ryze, Cassiopeia
- Diable – Ezreal, Corki
- Lehends – Bard, Nami
Dplus KIA
- Siwoo – K’Sante, Sion
- Lucid – Jarvan IV, Skarner
- ShowMaker – Viktor, Anivia
- Smash – Jhin, Lucian
- Career – Karma, Milio
HLE Secure First Place
After losing to Gen.G Esports earlier in the week, there was a chance HLE slipped out of the top two. With their win over BRO, they earn themselves the first-place spot at the end of Round 2. They will now face T1 in their first matchup of the Road to MSI. The winner of that series will book their ticket to the Mid-Season Invitational later this month.
A Routine DK Win
DK did not face many challenges from NS in this series. With Lucid returning to the lineup, it was one of the most comfortable series victories for the team this year. It will give them confidence heading into the Road to MSI. DK will face BRO in the first round and must run the gauntlet to qualify for MSI. They will need to beat BRO, KT Rolster, Gen.G, and one of HLE or T1 to book their ticket.
More LCK Content
We will cover the LCK Regular Season at Total Apex Entertainment, with daily summaries and weekly previews/reviews.
